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Friday, July 20, 2012

Here I am two years later and still packing my children lunch every day. You know it is funny.....when I look back at how nervous I would get about packing lunches. Will they get bored of what I am packing? Will I come up with enough interesting ideas? Will they eat? I don't know about your kids but I honestly can pack the same two lunches for them every day and they will never be bored. Of course I know that NOW! I guess I impose my need for variety on them. In fact the more creative I get the more picky of an eater they become.

So lets see, when I started this experiment I had three lunch boxes.

Number One

First in line was a target purchased lunch box with a glad 3 compartment container. The containers are of a thinner quality but lasted regardless of the cracking at the joint issues. The compartments were perfect for the main item, a fruit and a veggie side. The lunch boxes from target held up though the size of the item to the right was narrow and short to really be useful even without the insert. The lunch box to the left was not very insulating tho the size was accommodating at least. I still own only the lunch bag to the left. The bag to the right started to rip inside.

Number Two

The second was an Easy Lunch Box with their brand of containers. The container had a nib that helped you remove the lid. That nib is gone on every container. Otherwise nothing else cracked and the functionality of the container is still excellent. In fact this container is my "go to" container to pack up leftover dinners. I don't really like to pack each dinner item individually, I would really rather have a home made frozen TV dinner! ;-). One of the bags ripped inside on the liner and both frayed at the grommet on the handle. I still own and use both bags however because the bags are nicely insulated and really work well in that respect. The size of the bag is nice for when you want to pack more than just a container. I believe these bags have now been redesigned to fix the handle issue. You really can't beat the price of this kit and if you buy them on Amazon the shipping is free! Would I buy them again, yes! In fact I am getting ready to order a new bag in Pink!

Number Three

The last one was the PlanetBox. My son still LOVES his PlanetBox. The size is sort of on the small side for a bigger boy with a more hearty appetite. The lunch bag size also does not accommodate anything inside except that tray so if you are the type to pack "other" items like am/pm snacks, this unit will not be the one for you. The lunch bag has pockets on the outside that were really not good for holding much.

I recently learned that the design has since been improved and the pockets on front are more accommodating. You can actually put a smaller type drink bottle in one pocket and maybe a small glass container in the other if you need to pack items that need microwave heating.

In fact this company now makes a larger type PlanetBox that holds a glass container with lid on the INSIDE! This way you can re-heat your lunch if you wish. My son really is not too fond of the bags that they sell with the bigger box but I suppose they at least solve the where do you put your OTHER items at issue. I will be ordering the larger unit in the very near future. Is it worth the pricey $70. I would say so, the insulated lunch bag really does a good job at insulating the contents. The bag held up over the two years of my literally scrubbing it with a brush on the inside with some stain treat. In the end the whole unit looks good as new and is every bit as functional and durable as the day we got it. I really do like the smaller sized kit because of how conveniently it fits INSIDE the backpack.

In fact it is now time for my daughter to own her own PlanetBox and Pottery Barn Kids sells a kit that matches the backpack she fell in love with (chocolate owl ~ odd for the "pinky girl"). You can see from this picture that the drink bottle does fit now in the front pocket and the case is a bit larger to hold you "other" snacks. The handle seems to have been improved too which is good.

Summary:

My kids will have two lunch bags this year. A PlanetBox and an EasyLunch Box kit. I have my eye on a new contender called Lunchbots. They have a leak proof container I would be interested in trying out. The issue is still that it is stainless and whatever you pack could not be re-heated.